Curtiss Ann Matlock's Blog, page 19

The Delight of Storms

I heard about possible storms, but really, one hears these warnings all the time. I tend not to pay so much attention. Then I looked out the north windows and saw the purple-black sky. We seldom see such a sky down here, such mass of heaviness and bearing down on us like a huge iron freight train.

But I’ve seen that sky many times when living in Oklahoma and know what it means. I’m paying attention now, and I call grandson from his computer to look at the sky. To pay attention to the majesty...

Southern Sayings

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Over the last few weeks, I’ve had opportunities to remember some old Southern sayings. These so delight me that I am given to sharing a few with you. Maybe you have heard them, too, and will enjoy some chuckles.

One word my grandmother said that I’ve never heard anyone else say, until I read it in a Kaye Gibbons’ novel: “Haywire-flooey.” This was the grandmother who had at one time been as beautiful as a Gibson Girl, and then raised four boys and at...

What I’m Reading

[image error]So far I’ve logged three books read since the start of the year: The Whole Town’s Talking, by Fannie Flagg, Period of Adjustment, a play by Tennessee Williams, and How to be Filled by the Holy Spirit, by A. W. Tozer. I heartily recommend all three titles, give them each 5 stars, so to speak. Wonderful writing and each touching the heart in different ways. When I look at the short list, I have to laugh–quite eclectic!

I read the play because I saw the movie, Period of Adjustment, which often a...

Reading Goal: 50 Books

I got the idea from writer and teacher Deborah Chester, who wrote last year of her goal to read 100 books. Well, let me not set a goal I know at the outset I can’t reach, so I’m scaling down to read 50 books in 2017.

I’ve never done this before. I’m excited. That’s a lovely thing, excitement. It is fuel for living life, helps you take tall buildings in a single bound, and is evidence I’m onto a good and nurturing thing. The Dr. Seuss phrase pops to mind: “Oh, the places you will go!”

I have b...

The Word for 2017–Nurture

[image error]Here we are again, the end of another year, beginning of a new one. I have a rising sense of expectant hope, which if examined seems odd and silly. The New Year is nothing more than a date on a calendar. If you knew nothing of calendars, it would all simply be going to bed one night and waking another morning that was another day like any other in winter or summer, depending where you are in the world.

I’m not following that trail of thought to untold depths. There are calendars and a New Yea...

Great Pantyhose Debate Revisited

[image error]I looked at my stats. Thank you all who have visited and especially those who have signed up for my blog posts by email and my newsletter. You inspire me to write! Something else my stats told me is that every single day someone comes to check out my post The Great Pantyhose Debate. Yes, every day, and some days, like yesterday, a whopping six people visited the post. Really? I don’t know what draws everyone, but once reading, I trust the story gives as much laughter as me and my sisters-in-l...

What I’m Reading, and why I prefer paper books over digital

[image error] “I loved reading this book so much I couldn’t put it down.” –Amazon Reviewer

Feeling stressed and in need of relaxation, I chose to read my own book, Once Upon a Christmas. It had been a long time since I had read it, so it would be like reading something brand new, and I knew it would be a fun, heartwarming read.

I retrieved my Kindle, only to find it had a dead battery, evidence that likely my grandson had been playing with it. I plugged it in and waited over night.

Next evening at 4pm, I r...

Christmas Comes to Valentine, read an excerpt

If you’ve never been to Valentine, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit within the pages of this book. I think you’ll find, like I did, that it’s a place you’ll love and never want to leave. ~Mimbelina, Amazon Reviewer

Christmas Comes to Valentine is #5 in the Valentine series, and may be my favorite of all the Valentine stories. Of course, I say that about each one when I read it. Each story is what is known as a ‘stand alone’, meaning the stories are self-contained and do not rest on...

Revising a Writing Life

I showed my nine-year old grandson a picture of a record player in a catalog. It is new but made exactly like a portable one from the 50s and 60s. I asked if he knew what it was.

“Oh, yeah,” he replied with some eagerness. “It’s a microwave and…one of those things…uhm…one those things that plays music.”

“A record player. It’s just a portable record player, like they had when I was young.”

“Really?” he said, as if looking into outer-space.

I studied the photo of the portable record player. It...

Christmas Comes to Valentine Discounted for Pre-order!

Christmas comes to Valentine, and everyone has a secret desire…

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The holiday spirit is alive in the beloved small town of Valentine, Oklahoma, and everyone is buzzing about with high hopes and special wishes. With a Secret Santa passing out surprises, everyone is wondering who the next lucky recipient is going to be.

Almost-thirteen-year-old, and wise beyond her years, Corrine Pendley still wants what every young girl wants—to g...